Three Tips for Visiting Disney World with a Language Barrier

Disney World is an international tourist attraction. People literally come from all over the world to Disney World every day because it’s Disney’s largest theme park (and maybe the best, though I may be a little partial).

Visiting another country can be pretty scary, and even more so if you don’t speak the language fluently.

Disney keeps metrics on all of their guests, and they know that a huge portion of their visitors are from non-English speaking countries. In fact, based on recent measures, Brazilians visit Disney World more than any other foreign demographic.

So how does Disney help non-English speakers? Let’s take a look at where you can get help if you have a language barrier.

1. Cast Members

Cast Members at Disney World are hired and paid to be friendly and helpful to Disney World’s guests. Very rarely will you ever find a grumpy or unhelpful Cast Member!

What’s more, Cast Members come from all over the world whether they’re working full-time at the resort or are at Disney World as a student. In World Showcase, Disney actually brings in young adults to work in their appropriate country pavilion. This not only adds authenticity for guests but also provides some amazing opportunities for these young people.

That being said, quite a few Cast Members speak more than one language, and they’ll typically wear a tag under their name badge indicating what other languages they speak. If you find one who speaks your language, they’ll be more than happy to help you. If they don’t know your language, they will usually know where to find another Cast Member who does.

Disney does a lot to accommodates guests of all language backgrounds.

2. Ears to the World

Ears to the World is a free service available to any guest. You’ll pay a $25 refundable deposit to receive a headset that will automatically translate audio into your language. No more riding through attractions without a clue what’s going on!

Ears to the World are available in French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.

3. Translators

Most smartphones now have translators in the form of an app like Google Translate or a smart assistant like Siri. It’s worth noting that Disney has free wi-fi available to all guests throughout property, so that will help your app process things faster an save you on data. While these can be a little awkward and time-consuming, they are valuable as a last resort.

Herb is the founder, author, webmaster, chief executive, and chief bottle washer for World Of Walt – and he is the Disney enthusiast who put this site together. Ever since his parents took him to the Magic Kingdom on a family vacation as a youngster, he has had an interest in the magic that Disney creates for families.